Ice-cream could be delivered by drone on Mablethorpe beach in UK first

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Published:11:29Tuesday 12 July 2016

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Beachgoers in a Lincolnshire seaside resort could soon have their favourite chilled snack delivered to them on the beach by Drone.

Due to the poor weather of late Mablethorpe Rock & Ices Limited in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, are trailing the innovative idea that would mean you can spend more time relaxing in your deck chair on the beach and less time queuing at the kiosk.

Is ice cream drone delivery on the way to Mablethorpe?

In what is believed to be the first trial of its kind in the UK, sun-worshippers would be able to order from a menu of over six varieties of ice cream using a mobile App.

When an order is placed the new ‘Ice Me’ App, which is currently in development, would alert the ice cream shop located on the promenade at Mablethorpe.

The order will be prepared and then loaded on the Drone for delivery. Using GPS co-ordinates, the Drone promptly delivers the ice cream via an approved flight path to the customer.

The Drone being used – a modified DJI Inspire that has been fitted with three GPS sensors for additional safety – can carry a weight of 1.2kg – the equivalent of 10 Mr Whippy’s.

Nigel Stephenson, owner of the ice cream shop along with Karen Hemmings, manager, loading the drone ready for a trial delivery.

TheDroneMan.net is the Drone company involved in the trails and Chief Operator, Michael Kheng, said: “We are really pleased to be involved in this project. Many companies are looking at deliveries by Drone. We need to keep at the forefront of the industry and try to lead rather than follow. The Drone being used in the tests has been modified to include some of the latest safety measures available and, if we’re happy the tests have been successful, a safety case application will be submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in order to obtain the necessary permissions.”

Nigel Stephenson, Director of Mablethorpe Rock & Ices Limited, said: “We have often been asked about delivering ice creams on the beach and with the poor weather at the start of the season we are looking at ways at helping visitors to the resort enjoy more beach time now the sun has arrived. We first looked at how someone could remotely order an ice cream and as most people now use apps for everything thought we should have an app. We then needed to find a cost effective solution to deliver ice creams to people on the beach so contacted TheDroneMan.net for their assistance.”

Tourism Manager at East Lindsey District Council, James Gilbert, said the initiative was exciting: “I’m pleased businesses on our coast are thinking about how modern technology can be used to ensure they give visitors a great holiday experience. We must, of course, be mindful of the need to ensure that any Drone activity on our beaches is safe and controlled as was the case during this testing.”